A cheeky tūī named after the Lilo and Stitch character Pleakley is literally turning heads at the Ōtorohanga Kiwi House.

If you wander past his innocuous-looking enclosure on your way to the exit, he's likely to call out "hey buddy" or perhaps just guffaw at you.

While it is not unheard of for tΕ«Δ« to mimic car alarms and the like, birds that talk are relatively rare.

Photo: Supplied / Ōtorohanga Kiwi House

Ōtorohanga Wildlife manager Matt Ronaldson explained how Pleakley came to be at the sanctuary.

"He came to us as a very young bird.

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